Door lock



E. HITZELBERGER July 28, 1959 DOOR LOCK Filed May 23, 1955 .Z'NVE/VI'OA ,mwnv IIIIZELBEIPGER a) 4244., 4...!

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United States Patent noon LOCK Erwin I-Iitzelb'erger, Stuttgart,-Rohr, German y, assignor to Daimler-Benz Aktiengesellschaft, Stuttgart-paterturkheim, Germany Application May 23,1955, Serial No. 510,322 In Germany October 1, 1948 'Public Law 619, August 23 1954 Patent expires October 1, 1968 7 Claims. (Cl. 292,-83)

The present invention relatesto improvements in door locks, particularly of the type adapted for use in automobiles.

It is an object of the-present invention to provide a door lock of a very simple and inexpensive construction and requiring as few parts. as possible.

Another object of the present invention is-to provide a door lock which excels. bybeing very easily assembled, by operating very safely and effectively, and by being of a very compact design, requiring little space.

A further object of the invention is to provide a door lock which may be used without change of construction for either left-hand or right-hand doors.

One essential feature of the invention for accomplishing the aforesaid objects consists in forming the latch member of the lock of a single leaf spring, either by bending said springso as also to form the latch member, or by securing a separate latch portion on said leaf spring.

Further objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description thereof as well as from the accompanying drawings, inwhich Fig. 1' shows a perspective view of a door lock according to the invention in the locking position and adapted to be operated by a door handle;

Fig. 2 shows the door lock according to Fig. 1 in a longitudinal section, and it also shows aside view of the moveable parts of the lock in the open position;

Fig. 3 shows a cross section through the spring bolt of the lock according to the invention, taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 2; while Fig. 4 shows a detail view of a reinforced spring bolt to be applied in place of the one shown in Figs. 1 to 3.

Referring to the drawings, the lock according to the invention consists of a housing having a front plate 2 with a cutout portion 3 therein, for example, of rectangular shape. A stationary stop member 4 is rigidly mounted in the side walls 1 of the housing at a point slightly below and behind the cutout 3, and a leaf spring 5 of a particular configuration is mounted on the inside of the front plate 2 near the upper end of the lock hous-- ing. At the level of the cut-out 3, leaf spring 5 is provided with an outwardly or forwardly curved portion 5a which may be, for example, of substantially semicircular shape. At the lower end of the curved portion 5a, leaf spring 5 extends for a short distance 5b in a straight direction and is then bent back nearly at a right angle so as to form a straight end portion 50 which extends substantially parallel to the main upper portion 5 and normally at a certain distance from the stop member 4. Below the straight portion 512 and in front of the end portion 50, a sprocket member 6 having the noses 7 and 8 thereon is rotatably mounted in suitable apertures in the side walls 1 of the housing.

The function and operation of the lock as above described is as follows:

When in the locking condition, the moveable parts of -2 the lock ssurne thepositidn as illustrated inFigs. l and 2. The leaf spring 5 normally,presseswithafjslight initial tension against the inner wall of the front, plate 2 of the housing, and the curved portion 5a projects through the cutout 3' soasto form a latch which is adapted to engage in the catch 10 of the notched bar ,11 which, is mounted in the door frame. Theangularend portion 50 rests against the nose 7 of the sprocket member ,6 and maintains thesame in such an angular position that the stopvnose 8 will abutagainst the inner wall of the front plate 2. With the ,sprocketo inthis position, the square hole'9 will be disposed so that the door handles l2 when inserted therein will be in a substantially horizontal position. v

When one of thedoo'rhandles 12 is depressed, ,the nose 7 of the-sprocket member 6,bends the leaf. spring 5 into the position shownin Fig. 2, so that 'thelatch portion 5a beforced toward the le ft and out ofengagement with the catch 10. 7

Rather than Operating'the lock by means of door handles 12 and the sprocket 6, the,leaf.spring 5 may aIso be actuated directly by alkey, or a safety lock ,may,beinstalled in the. sprocket 6-. I so, the leaf spring 5 may be made substantiallystraight upto the angular portioh..5.b, and the latch portion niay be formed by a block; member 13, asshown in Fig. 4, which is secured to the leaf. spring 5 at thepoint of the cutout} in the-front. plate .2 of. the lock housing.

While either thecurved, latch, portion 5a or the block member 13 on the leaf spring 5 areprovided with an inclined surfacelrl soas'to forma snaplock, the lock according to the inventionmay alsobe used, for example, as a lock for a drawer or the like, in which ,case the 1. A door lock comprising a support including a front plate, a leaf spring member mounted on'the inside and near one end of said front plate and having a main portion integral therewith adapted for resilient movement relative to said end, said main portion including an upper spring portion and a bent portion adjacent thereto and adjacent the middle of said main portion, said bent portion overhanging one end of said main portion, said bent portion forming a latch portion adapted to lock the door, said front plate having an actuating member adjacent said one end for positively moving said one end and thereby moving said main portion for positively moving said main portion from a closing position of said latch portion to an opening position thereof, and for releasing said main portion so as to enable movement of said latch portion to the closing position by the resilience of said leaf spring member, said front plate having anupper closure portion extending over said upper spring portion, said front plate further having a lower closure portion extending over said actuating member, said upper closure portion and said lower closure portion having spaced parts providing an aperture through which said latch portion projects.

2. A door lock as defined in claim 1, said support comprising a housing, the other end of said leaf spring member being mounted on said inside and near said one end of said front plate within said housing at a point spaced from said aperture, said spring member extending in a longitudinal direction along said front plate and over and beyond said aperture, said actuating member being disposed within said housing at -a portion of said housing opposite to the 'rriountingof said other end of said spring member so as to cooperate with said one end of said spring member.

3; A door lock as defined in claim 2, wherein said one end of said main portion further includes an extension ofsaid bent portion, said extension extending from said bent portion into said housing, said one end further including an offset portion extending from said extension, said actuating member being disposed at a point intermediate said offset portion and said front plate of said housing for cooperation with said ofiset portion.

4. A door lock comprising a support including afront plate, a leaf spring member mounted on the inside and near one end ofsaid front plateand having a main portion adapted for resilient movement relativefto said end, said main portion including a latch portion adapted to lock the door, said latch portion being inclined transversely to the length of said leaf spring member, said inclination being formed by twisting said leaf spring member at said latch'portion thereof, said front plate having a cutout portion of a size slightly larger than said latch portion through which said latch portion projects, an actuating member for positively moving said main portion from a closing position of said latch portion to an opening position thereof, and for releasing said main portion so as to enable movement of said latch portion to the closing position by the resilience of said spring member. a 5. A door lock comprising a support including a front plate, a leaf spring member mounted on the inside and near one end of said front plate and having a main portion adapted for resilient movement relative to'said end, said main portion including a latch portion adapted to lock the door, said latch portion having an inclination extending transversely to the length of said leaf spring member and overhanging one end of said member, said inclination being formed by twistingsaid leaf spring member at said latch portion thereof, said front plate having a cutout portion of a size slightly larger than said latch portion through which said latch portion projects,

an actuating member disposed adjacent said one end for positively moving said one end and thereby moving said main portion from a closing position of said latch portion to an opening position thereof, and for releasing said main portion so as to enable movement of said latch portion to the closing position by the resilience of said spring member.

6. A door lock comprising .a support including a front plate, a leaf spring member mounted on the inside and near one end of said front plate and having a main portion integral therewith adapted for resilient movement relative to said end, said main portion including a bent portion forming a latch portion adapted to lock the door, said front plate having a cutout portion forming an aperture of a size slightly larger than said latch portion through which said latch portion projects, an actuating member for positively moving said main portion from a closing position of said latch portion to an opening position thereof, and for releasing saidmain portion so as to enable movement of said latch portion to the closing position by the resilience of said leaf spring member, said support comprising a housing, one end of said leaf spring member being mounted within said housing on said inside and near said one end of said front plate containing saidaperture and at a point spaced from said aperture, said spring member extending in a longitudinal direction along said front plate and over' and beyond said aperture, said actuating member being disposed within said housing at the side opposite to the mounting of said leaf spring member so as to cooperate with the other end of said spring member.

7. A door lock as defined in claim 6, wherein said other end of said spring member as seen from its mounted end is bent inwardly into said housing from a point adjacent to the remote edge of said aperture, and is then bent back in the direction to said front plate of said housing, said actuating member being disposed at a point intermediate the last-mentioned bent portion of said spring member and said front plate of said housing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS France May 11, 

